Khmer OCR — Image to Text & PDF
ស្រង់អត្តបទភាសាខ្មែរពីរូបភាពនិងឯកសារក្រុម
Free · No registration for images · AI-powered
Drop your file here
PDF, PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP
What is Khmer OCR & Developer API?
Developer API & RAG Docs →Khmer OCR is the automated process of converting scanned multi-page PDFs up to 1GB and documents into editable, searchable Khmer text while preserving accents, complex ligatures, and native character shapes. FastOCR reads printed text in this script and generates full-text searchable PDFs with selectable text overlays at near-instant speed. For engineering teams building RAG pipelines, vector search databases, or automated document ingestion, FastOCR also provides a high-speed Khmer OCR REST API at api.fastocr.org with 10 free pages a month for approved accounts. The API accepts PDF files only.
Khmer script recognition
Full support for Khmer consonants, vowels, and subscript forms.
Subscript consonants
Correctly handles below-base consonants (coeng) used in Khmer.
Complex vowels
Recognizes Khmer vowel diacritics that surround consonants on multiple sides.
Mixed Khmer & English
Bilingual documents with Khmer and Latin scripts handled in one pass.
Searchable PDF output
Creates PDFs with invisible text layer for full-text search.
Translate after extraction
Extract Khmer text then translate to English or any language.
Why Khmer OCR Is Challenging
- Recognizing subscript consonants (coeng) that appear below base characters and modify pronunciation
- Handling complex vowel diacritics that can appear above, below, before, or after consonants
- Distinguishing visually similar Khmer characters like ក/គ, ច/ឆ, ត/ថ in small fonts
- Processing stacked combinations where subscript consonants and vowel marks pile up
- Correctly segmenting Khmer text which has no spaces between words
How to Extract Khmer Text from a PDF & Images
- Go to fastocr.org
- Upload your Khmer image or PDF. Language is detected automatically.
- Wait for processing — images take seconds, PDFs show a progress bar.
- Download results: searchable PDF, raw text file, or copy text directly.
Tips for Better Khmer OCR Accuracy
- Scan at 300 DPI minimum to preserve the subscript consonant details below base characters
- Use clean, high-contrast scans to prevent subscript marks from merging with base characters
- Verify that subscript consonants (coeng) are not lost or merged in the output
- For documents with complex vowel stacks, increase image brightness to improve mark separation
Common Use Cases for Khmer OCR
- Digitizing Cambodian legal documents, contracts, and government records
- Extracting text from Khmer academic papers and university publications
- Converting scanned Buddhist texts and historical Cambodian manuscripts
- Processing Khmer business invoices and commercial correspondence
- Archiving Angkor-era inscriptions and historical Khmer stone carvings
FastOCR vs Standard OCR Apps for Khmer
| Capability | FastOCR Dedicated Cloud AI | Standard Online OCR Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Khmer Script Recognition | ✅ Full native cloud recognition for Khmer (complex alphabets and diacritics) | Limited character sets or unhandled accents |
| Multi-Column & Table Layouts | ✅ Preserves proper paragraph and table alignment | Merges unrelated columns together |
| Searchable PDF/A Output | ✅ Dual-layer searchable PDF with coordinate-aligned text overlay | Plain unformatted text dump only or unsupported |
| Instant Web Access | ✅ Zero software installation (runs in mobile & desktop browser) | Requires local CLI libraries or complex desktop setup |
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is Khmer OCR?
FastOCR reads printed Khmer text. Subscript consonants and complex vowel stacking present challenges that may reduce accuracy on degraded scans.
Can Khmer OCR handle subscript consonants (coeng)?
Yes. FastOCR correctly identifies subscript consonants marked with the coeng sign. High-resolution scans (300+ DPI) ensure the small subscript forms are accurately recognized.
Is Khmer OCR free?
Yes. Image OCR is free with no registration. PDF processing requires a free account — see fastocr.org/pricing for plan details.
What file formats are supported for Khmer OCR?
FastOCR supports JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP images and PDF documents. Max 20MB for images, 1GB for PDFs.
Dedicated Khmer Tools
Explore Specialized OCR Workflows
FastOCR provides dedicated AI text recognition engines optimized for complex document types and formats:
Free for images. No registration required.
Related Articles & Resources
Thai OCR
OCR for Thai — another Southeast Asian script
Lao OCR
OCR for Lao — closely related to Khmer script
Image to Text
Convert any image to editable text instantly
PDF to Text
Extract text from scanned and native PDFs
What is OCR?
Learn how optical character recognition technology works.
How Accurate Is OCR?
Discover the accuracy limits of modern OCR technology.
Khmer OCR Guide
Read the complete guide to Khmer OCR and text extraction.
Free Khmer OCR
Upload & Extract TextLast updated: July 24, 2026